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OSI - Dupnitza |
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Day Center Photos - Personnel - Acknowledgements - Help our Day Center
To address these needs, our partner organization in Bulgaria, "Future for Roma," developed the idea of establishing a Day Center in Dupnitza. Our Day Center provides a variety of extracurricular activities such as cooking classes, hygiene and health instruction, school tutoring, counseling, skills training such as computer literacy courses, and even just fun group activities. Our Day Center was opened in October 2006 after "Future for Roma" director Emilia Mihailova and then-OSI-Bulgaria Liaison and US Peace Corps volunteer Jennifer Hee wrote and obtained a start-up grant from Peace Corps' "Small Project Assistance" (SPA) Program. Mandatory matching funds were provided by OSI donor Connie Carlberg. Our Bulgarian partner "Future for the Roma" association provided space for the center, utilizing rooms annexed to their office in the center of Dupnitza. Creating the center required complete construction of a bathroom and kitchen, as well as the remodeling of a large common "study" room and a small computer room. In October of 2007, current OSI-Bulgaria liaison Lindsay Saltsgiver obtained a major grant from Rotary Club of Mandarin, Florida, to fund the continuation of the Day Center, including staff/instructor/psychologist salaries, and the visiting children's food provisions, medical care, clothing, and other needs. See more details and photos below. Newsletter - Download our January 2008 Day Center Newsletter (by OSI-Bulgaria Liaison Lindsay Saltsgiver) A complete kitchen facility was constructed, plumbed, and furnished with all necessary appliances, sink and water heater, kitchen furniture, cabinets, and all cookware and supplies. The kitchen is utilized for regular formal cooking classes, though also serves well as a means to feed kids who show up to the Day Center with an empty stomach!
Below are photos of the entry and main hall of the Day Center, as well as the brand new bathing/toilet/laundry facilities. Our institutionalized children often do not learn basic hygiene and healthcare, and our Roma children often come from dire homes with no hot water, and in some cases with no running water at all. The bathing and laundry facilities at the Center provide for these needs, and formal instructional sessions are provided as well for the kids. Lessons are given in the large "common room" which is furnished with tables and chairs for group activities, as well as a brand-new TV!
A separate small room serves as the "computer room" with two brand-new Windows-based computers with all of the most popular and useful software programs and a high-speed Internet connection. Formal computer classes are provided as a vocational training for our older kids, and the computers also serve as an educational and information resource.
The Day Center concept and original grant were developed by OSI-Bulgaria liaison Jennifer Hee and "Future for Roma" director Emilia Mihailova. The Day Center is managed voluntarily by Emilia, with much assistance and supervision from present OSI-Bulgaria Liaison Lindsay Saltsgiver. A paid psychologist provides counseling to our children, and a combination of paid and voluntary teachers provide instruction in computers, English, cooking, and life skills. As funds allow, we hope to employ additional instructors for more lessons, tutoring, and vocational skills training for the children! See Help Our Day Center below. Donors:
$3525.85 - USAID, via US Peace Corps SPA Grant Thanks to the above donors for making our Day Center dream come true!
If you can help in any way, short or long-term, or if you otherwise have any questions about our Day Center, please contact Lindsay, OSI-Bulgaria liaison and Day Center coordinator. Thank you! Other Projects - View other OSI projects OSI-Dupnitza Site Page - General information and photos of our Dupnitza site |
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The youth we work with in
impoverished Roma neighborhoods often do not receive even the most basic
life skills instruction, -from cooking to appropriate social skills.
They also lack educational support, and in many cases their homes
are so dire that they have not proper facilities to maintain adequate
health, hygiene, and nutrition. Furthermore, most all of these
children lack
the means and guidance to make constructive use of their free time; they
also have no safe place to
gather.
Now
that our Day Center is established, the greatest challenge we meet is in
keeping it operational month-to-month. We are presently operating on
a $5000 grant obtained in October 2007 from Rotary Club of Mandarin,
Florida. These funds are stretched tight to cover salaries (computer
teacher, cooking teacher, and psychologist), food and supplies for cooking
classes and hungry kids, hygiene items for the kids, our computer class
Internet connection, and electricity/telephone. While our current
activities are functioning on these funds, additional funding would immediately go
towards more hours of instruction and classes for our kids, and also allow
us to outreach for additional children to become involved with our Day
Center.